IS HE THE ONE?

 

   

Since chattel slavery  and now in the age of Systemic Racism, our communities have searched for the Black Messiah. 

    Eric Batista is a Btown man from Puerto Rico. Is he the one who can lead the City of Worcester away from Systemic Discrimination?  He has been appointed  the chief executive officer of the City, the City Manager. 

    Mr. Batista had a dubious start. He was in charge of  the task force regarding police in the Worcester Public Schools.  The task force was not opened to the public. I complained, but Mr. Batista did not respond. 

    When going from Assistant City Manager to City Manager, Mr. Batista inherited several systemic discrimination issues. He discussed the issues at a December 14, 2022 public meeting. Members of Mass. Human Rights and Progressive Labor Party attendeed.

    The first was the implementation of the body cam ordinance which the police union is still resisting

    The second is the duties of the Diversity Officer. The three previous people holding that position quit abruptly. Mr. Batista said that he was restructuring the position. He has not given us any details.

    The third issue is how to file a complaint against the City. It used to be that the Worcester Human Rights Commission took complaints against the City, including complaints against the Police Department. At this time the Worcester Human Rights Commission cannot  take any complaint.

Mr. Batista has indicated that the Worcester  Human Resources Division now takes complainsts against the City. He said it has an Investigation Department. The City has not yet publicized this procedure for complaints

    Mr. Batista is no messiah. Let's hope he is competent, transparent , honest, and uncompromised. 

PEACE, DIGNITY, AND EQUALITY

 

Peace, Dignity, and Equality

MAY DAY 2022

Sunday, May 1, 2022, 1 pm

Elm Park, Highland St side

Worcester MA

*******************************************************************

 Ukrainian and Russian Workers unite

Stop the bosses’ profit wars

 

Support Worcester Tenants.

March to the Worcester Housing Authority

 

End racial and gender disparities and discrimination with communism

Get the bosses’ money out of politics; fair distribution of resources

 

******************************************************************

 Mass. Human Rights

Tenants Housing Alliance Worcester

Progressive Labor Party (Hellowithfire1@aol.com)

Chief Diversity Officer

Dr. Carter

This blog is an update of a blog from 2016. 

Unfortunately this writer predicted during summer of 2015 that the  Department of Justice “dialogues on race”. were a joke and would fail. This writer said that the position of Chief Diversity officer would be just a joke or a crumb for “minorities” to fight over. 

Ms. Chacko with write

Ms. Williams

Disparate Impact is Discrimination

Disparate Impact discrimination is the legal term that describes discrimination without animus. It usually is found as a policy that results in an adversely negative impact on a protected class based on a so called neutral or nondiscriminatory policy. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has ruled that criminal records disclosures can be considered disparate impacts. It and other organization have created new policies to ensure that people who have been formerly incarcerated or arrested will get at least a chance for an interview when applying for work.

Another example of disparate impact is the so called School to Jail pipeline which many people consider racist because it affects a disproportional number of Black Latino and poor students. The institutional mechanism and policies of School to Jail Pipeline negatively affects all students.

The school to jail pipelines’ policies are racist, not because it is based on any negative animus, but because it has a disproportional negative impact it has on Black, Latino, and other students. The solution to the disproportionally negative impact is a rewrite of policies. For Massachusetts the change has seemingly come in M.G.L. Chapter 222.

The opponents of the efforts to reform the policies leading to disparately negative impacts sometimes use the pretext of colorblindness.  We have seen this use by a local columnist to defend a lack of effective programs, the City police, and people working in public schools. In her recent column she said that White teachers are the victims.

A good teacher is a good teacher regardless of protected class or race. We should instead look at the policies that have the negative impact on our children.

It has been pointed out to me that the recent promotions of City and School officials could be an example of Disparate Impact.

The present Commissioner of the Department of Public Works in Worcester, Mr. Moosey, was, before he was appointed, the next in line to replace the then Commissioner Mr. Moylan.  

The present, Ms. Ledoux, Clerk of Worcester was next in line when she was promoted.  

The new Chief of Police, Chief Sargent, was next in line when he was promoted to replacing the retired Chief Gemme.

All the people mentioned above are White and they were all well qualified for their experience and promoted to the top positions with in their respective departments.

There is one exception to this apparent policy of promoting the employee next in line. The Assistant Superintendent of Worcester Public School District was passed over in favor of a less qualified candidate. In this particular case the Assistant Superintendent is Latino and the less qualified candidate is White.

In terms of unlawfulness this might not be disparate impact as the hiring process of department heads was not the same or similarly done as was the hiring of the School Superintendent. The School Committee made the decision regarding the Superintendent. The department heads were appointed by either the City Manager or elected by the City Council.

The School Superintendent is hired by the School Committee.

However the hiring of the Mrs. Benienda as School Superintendent certainly was not in compliance with Affirmative Action policies of the City or their intent. The policies were written to ensure that when a person in a protected class has the same or better qualifications as a candidate not in the protected class, the person in the protected class would be hired.

This Affirmative Action policy has worked very well for the Worcester Police Department for the protected class of armed forces veterans. One hundred percent of police cadets are veterans.

Is there animus in Worcester’s hiring practices? Maybe there is. Is there an adversely negative impact in Worcester’s hiring policies? Yes, there is as seen in the statistics.

All of the promotions to department heads have been White. The better qualified Latino candidate for School Superintendent is Latino and he was passed over.

Dr. Carter, the recent hire for the newly created Chief Diversity Officer position does not seem to have any power to do anything significant.  I believe she is a good person in a position requiring moral courage.

 Unfortunately this was predicted during last summer Department of Justice “dialogues on race”.  This writer said that those “ dialogues “ are a joke and that the position of Chief Diversity officer would be just a token or crumb for “minorities” to fight over. 

PLP and Massachusetts Human Rights Commission Cookout August 1, 2021

 

PLP and Mass. Human Rights Annual Cookout

 

·        Barbeque (Mmmmm ) 

Pot Luck or donation, if you can.  If not just bring yourself. Food on grill at 12:30 pm

 

Good Conversation about current events:

 fighting racism and discrimination, helping the St. Nurses, and police accountability

.

 

Where:  Quinsigamond Lake Park, Lake  Ave. & Coburn Ave, Worcester, MA  01604 (not Regatta Point).  

 

Go East on Belmont St. in Worcester. Turn right at Lake Ave., Left turn onto Coburn Ave., about 3 miles from Belmont St. (go past the main entrance to get to Coburn Ave.

 

When: Sunday, 8/1/21  12 noon

Call:  508-757-5873  for more information.

PROGRESSIVE LABOR PARTY     PLP and Mass. Human Rights Annual Cookout

 

·        Barbeque (Mmmmm ) 

Pot Luck or donation, if you can.  If not just bring yourself. Food on grill at 12:30 pm

 

Good Conversation about current events:

 fighting racism and discrimination, helping the St. Nurses, and police accountability

.

 

Where:  Quinsigamond Lake Park, Lake  Ave. & Coburn Ave, Worcester, MA  01604 (not Regatta Point).  

 

Go East on Belmont St. in Worcester. Turn right at Lake Ave., Left turn onto Coburn Ave., about 3 miles from Belmont St. (go past the main entrance to get to Coburn Ave.

 

When: Sunday, 8/1/21  12 noon

Call:  508-757-5873  for more information

Mass. Human Rights                 

PROGRESSIVE LABOR PARTY      

                             

                                                                                 

                                     

Immediate Effects of the Supreme Court Ruling on LGBTQ

                         

     

Immediate Effects of the Supreme Court Ruling on LGBTQ

The ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States

(SCOTUS) on the protection of lesbian, gay bisexual,

transgender, queer (LGBTQ) individuals is based largely on the

inclusion by implication (logical necessity) of LGBTQ in the

word “sex”. That word is found in Title VII of the Civil rights

Act of 1964 as amended.

Title VII prohibits discrimination in employment against the 

named protected classes. Some of the protected classes are race, national

origin, and sex.  Some protected classes are protected in other Federal Codes,

for example age and disparities. Some classes are left out.

Previous to the ruling, 20 states had no laws whatsoever protecting 

LGBTQ individuals in employment. In those states, before the 

SCORUS ruling, the LGBTQ individuals had no legal recourse. In 

those states today, LGBTQ individuals can go to Federal court 

with their complaints. However they would have to file their

complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(EEOC) first.   The EEOC has jurisdiction over Title VII and determines

probable cause. The EEOC might then issue permission to file the complaint

in Federal court. At this point the EEOC involvement ends.  For the 

most part the EEOC investigates class action types of 

discrimination.

In Massachusetts there are now two options for LGBTQ 

individuals. Massachusetts already has in place a fairly strong 

State statues against discrimination of LGBTQ people, M.G.L. Chapter

151B. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has a

contract with EEOC to investigate complaints that violate EEOC codes. The

MCAD also simultaneously will investigate the complaint as a violation of

Chapter 151B.

Should a person complain to the EEOC first the MCAD will not 

investigate the case. From experience the MCAD takes at least two to

investigate a case. It might be faster to file at EEOC for Federal Court or file at

MCAD and withdrawal the case to go to State court. If you want MCAD to

hear the case before the Commission, then the case would have remain at the

MCAD. 

After the MCAD investigation if there is a probable cause finding, 

then there exist the options of going to Federal court or to 

State court, or having the MCAD decide the complaint. Only one 

option can be chosen.

 Because SCOTUS has legally given the term “sex” an inclusive 

meaning, it implies that elsewhere in the law the term “sex” will 

also be inclusive, such as healthcare, housing. The exclusiveness is 

not automatic and test cases will be needed to define each statute or code or

regulation. It is unlikely that opposition to the inclusion would succeed as

SCOTUS would almost certainly rule in favor of the inclusiveness.

RESIDENTS' ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR WORCESTER SCHOOL COMMITTEE

By Scott O’Connell
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted at 7:55 PM

   

WORCESTER – The Worcester Branch NAACP is pitching an idea to create a residents’ advisory commission for the city School Committee, according to one of its members.

That proposed body, which would be comprised of representatives of local school advocacy organizations, parents and students, would have the primary function of requesting and reporting on data from the school department through the School Committee and making policy recommendations.

Gordon T. Davis, chairman of the Worcester Branch NAACP’s education committee, said the commission would also address some of what he described as the School Committee’s representation issues, from its lack of a clear, formal citizen input process to the disenfranchisement some residents have felt from district leadership.

It’s also a way to insert African-Americans and other minority groups into the ongoing debate over the direction of the schools, which he said has focused predominantly on Latino students.

While he could offer no example of such a commission at the school level, he said the city has a similar concept in its citizen advisory council.

“I think to a certain extent this is to ensure we get a seat at the table,” he said. “I know it’s a new concept ... but we all have a stake in what’s going on in the schools.”

In particular, the advisory commission would be concerned with what is colloquially known as the “school to prison pipeline” – the school policies and practices that tend to punish students, particularly students of color, rather than help them get an education. The commission consequently would seek data – suspension rates, dropout rates, testing results – relevant to that focus.

Davis said the Worcester NAACP is currently reaching out to other local organizations to build a coalition behind its proposal. It has also discussed the idea with Mayor Joseph Petty, who serves as chairman of the School Committee. Petty’s office confirmed those meetings, but the mayor didn’t have a comment about the commission specifically on Tuesday.

The group has yet to approach the rest of the committee, however, according to Davis – “we’re going to wait to see who’s elected” in next month’s School Committee election, he said.

The one current member who is sure not to be on the next committee, Dante Comparetto – he dropped out of the race earlier this year, while the other five incumbents are still running – said the commission “sounds like a good idea to me.”

Comparetto also floated the idea of a School Committee ombudsman – another potential way, he said, of giving the public some input into the committee’s work. While the School Committee isn’t necessarily supposed to be intervening in individual constituent issues, he added, he doesn’t trust the school department to sufficiently fill that role, either.

“If we’re not supposed to be dealing with constituent service stuff, then who does it?” he said.

Committee member Dianna Biancheria, however, said committee members already are accessible to the public – “we’re out in the neighborhoods, we’re out in the community,” she said. “They have access to call us, email us, speak to us.”

She also expressed more confidence in the district administration to present school data to the public, saying she’d rather have the school department, rather than outside groups, in charge of deciphering and delivering that information.

The school system is under increased scrutiny now to release its internal data, after several community groups raised concerns this past year about persistent racial inequities in the district.

Superintendent Maureen Binienda is required by a 14-point plan she agreed to during her recent contract negotiations to specifically create a “clear and transparent process to provide the necessary, student-sensitive data needed to do a thorough review of the suspension rates” in the schools, according to a copy of that plan.

The intent of the residents’ advisory commission, Davis said, is to put a “little flesh and bone to what that group looks like,” referring to the unnamed individual or organization that would review that data.

Scott O’Connell can be reached at Scott.O’Connell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottOConnellTG

We Must Ensure All Students Are Accurately Counted in Education Funding Reform Debate

We Must Ensure All Students Are Accurately Counted in Education Funding Reform Debate  New MassBudget Report Examines Accurately Counting All Economically Disadvantaged Students Every child in Massachusetts deserves an excellent education. To turn this vision into a reality, our unequal public education system desperately needs to bee remedied with state dollars to help our most disadvantaged students succeed. This past Thursday, the State Senate took a big step in the right direction and passed the Student Opportunity Act. This legislation would revise the Massachusetts' K-12 education funding formula and provide significantly more aid to many districts and students most in need.   Among other changes, this act proposes shifting how a low-income student is defined, defining "low-income" as 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, rather than the 133 percent level that has been used in recent years. While the act would provide significantly more state aid to school districts, the challenge moving forward is this legislation does not specify the method for identifying this expanded group of students. In our latest report, Making Every Student Count, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) analyzes the challenged of counting children who come from socioeconomic backgrounds, and highlights solutions to ensure all kids get the supports they need. "Children from low-income and immigrant households in our schools are most at risk of not being accurately counted," said Marie-Frances Rivera, MassBudget President. "This challenge deserves a thoughtful approach, that includes family outreach and engagement in order to strengthen families' enrollment in public programs that inform the districts low-income student count."   Many of the challenges arise because the current system requires heavily on data matching students who are enrolled in public programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Transitional Assistance for Families and Dependent Children (TAFDC), foster care, and MassHealth. There are some key challenges with this approach: Mixed-immigration status households eligible for these programs could forgo them due to the chilling effect of punitive federal changes, which could directly affect their local school districts' funding; Not all eligible students being enrolled in all programs they can participate in; and The misalignment between school rosters and program data, potentially missing students. The good news is that Gateway Communities like New Bedford and Springfield have been able to mitigate the challenges of the data matching approach couple with the chilling effects. Both cities, while vastly different, have experienced an increase in low-income students over time. Through the dedication of resources, these communities have been able to:  Regularly update the databases needed to make sure students who qualify for school meals receive them; Collaborate with local institutions to manually track and certify students who may have been missed; and Identify and support children from families from migrant, military, foster care and populations experiencing displacement. Click here to read the full report and learn more about the proposed changes. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 1 State Street, Suite 1250, Boston, MA 02109